This weeks Hat Trick Cafe recipe :

         Here at the Hat Trick Cafe we belive that a wholesome and tasty soup is as good as any main course item you can get, we are always being commended on our soups, "how do you make that taste so good? " "what did you put in that? " i merely reply " i can check what it says on the tin" haha. no really soups should always be kept simple using only the best ingredients, cooked simply. Here is our smoked fish chowder which has become a bit of a pilgramage for some devotees. 

          1 onion, finally chopped. 2 med sized potatoes, peeled and cubed. 1 side of smoked fish, haddock, cod or hoki, skinned and any bones removed, cut into cubes twice the size of the potatoes.1 clove of garlic, grated. 1 small leek, washed and finely sliced. 2 table spoons of olive oil. water. 500ml double cream. S'n'P to taste.So in a medium sized pan saute the onion in the oilover a soft heat, add the potatoes shaking the pan, add enough water to cover the potatoes, bring to the boil and then simmer until the potatoes are just cooked. next add the smoked fish and cream, bring to the boil, and simmer gently, once the chowder starts to thicken, stir in the leeks and season well. now this with a nice piece of warmed fresh bread will set you up for the whole day, i am sure you will have another bowl. You can easily ammend this by adding freshly cooked sweetcorn, sliced green beans, prawns or whatever you can lay your hands on. Or we sometimes cook the soup until the last stage and once thickened we laddle the mixture into a gratin dish and sprinkle our own savuory crumble mixture on top and bake for a further 20 minutes in a moderatly hot oven until the top browns over, simple great.

        Savoury crumble topping consists of rubbing together, in a large bowl, 400gm plain flour, 400 gm oats, 400 gm hard butter to a crumble mix, season well with S'n'P, i like to put a table spoon of ground corriander and cummin, but again you can spice up the mix by adding crushed chilli flakes, chopped fresh parsley whatever you wish, any leftover will keep a few weeks in an airtight container, in the fridge.

        next week i will publish a couple of veggie dishes for you to try.

                                 good eating Jane & Sam.